MOSCOW, January 26 (RIA Novosti) – A Russian engineering student was detained in Pennsylvania after police found a bomb in his house, which he allegedly intended to use to “blow things up.”
Vladislav Miftakhov, 19, came under suspicion as a marijuana grower, Altoona Police Department said on its Facebook page.
But a search at his house produced not just drugs, but also a self-made bomb, police said Saturday.
The Russian citizen said he made the explosive device – which was promptly defused – using materials he bought online, police said.
He said he “was going to blow things up,” the Altoona Mirror newspaper reported Sunday.
But he named no targets and later denied plans to attack anything, the report said.
A roommate attested Miftakhov as a “crazy kid” with an interest in explosives, but no extremist intentions, the newspaper said.
Miftakhov was slapped with nine counts of criminal charges, including possessing weapons of mass destruction.
He remains in detention, lacking $500,000 he needs for a bail.
Russian natives, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnayev, are accused of staging a bombing at the Boston marathon last April, killing three and injuring more than 260.
One of the Tsarnayevs was slain during the police chase, the other apprehended. The duo, who have been living in the United States since 2002, turned out to be supporters of Islamic terrorism.
Miftakhov has not been implicated in terrorism involvement, though his Facebook page claims he does not believe in the death of “Bind Laden.”
“Miftakhov” is a surname used by Russia’s Bashkir and Tatar ethnic minorities, which are predominantly Muslim, but have mostly stayed away from aggressive Islam.
The suspected bomber’s Facebook profile lists Moscow as his hometown and San Carlos, California, as his current city. The Altoona Mirror said his parents live in California.
